Deontay Wilder defeated Chris Arreola handily on Saturday night in Birmingham, Ala. after Arreola’s corner stopped the fight following the eighth round. It wasn’t Wilder’s relatively early victory and domination that was quite as impressive as the circumstances surrounding his win.
Wilder said after the fight that he beat Arreola despite having a broken hand and torn biceps. This makes complete sense as The Bronze Bomber knocked Arreola down in the fourth but the volume of his punches thrown dropped off after that. He hardly threw his right hand in the 5th-8th rounds of the fight before Arreola’s corner decided to stop the fight.
“It was early – the third or the fourth round. It was from an (awkward) punch. I hurt the hand first, and then the bicep,” Wilder said of his injury after the fight.
Though he spoke with the media briefly after the fight and did an interview aired on FOX, Wilder skipped a press conference in favor of a trip to the hospital.
No press conferece for Deontay Wilder, he's going straight to the hospital. Initial diagnosis is broken right hand and distal bicep tear.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) July 17, 2016
After his win, Wilder said he would welcome a fight with Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko or Anthony Joshua. Now 37-0 with 36 wins by knockout, Wilder says his goal is to unify the heavyweight division.
